


double espresso, extra sugar

by rosemusiclive



Category: NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Swearing, ace!renjun, alt title: lee jeno's big gay panic, mark and jisung are talked about but arent there, slightly aged up dreamies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 06:22:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16012097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosemusiclive/pseuds/rosemusiclive
Summary: Jeno needs to stop letting Yukhei challenge him to drinking games because now he's hungover as fuck and trying to order a coffee from the cute guy who he can't remember but apparently carried him home.or'i carried you home last night because you were drunk as hell and now im your barista' au





	double espresso, extra sugar

Jeno slams his books down on the coffee shop table without warning, Chenle jumps awake and Renjun glares at him over his extra large cappuccino.

“I’m moving to fucking Alaska.”

Renjun rolls his eyes, puts down his mug, and fixes Jeno with one of those looks that tired housewives with necklaces worth more than their houses give their fourth husbands. “They still have Engineering in Alaska, I’m afraid.”

The cafe is pretty much empty. It’s a Tuesday morning in November, so Jeno isn't really that surprised. The place is a hole in the wall behind the cinema anyways, he’s pretty sure their little gang are the only regulars, and they only hang out here because they have endless coffee and enough plug sockets for their laptops. That and the fact that Donghyuck is obsessed with one of the baristas.

“Fuck, I’ll live in the forest, sleep in a cave until a wolf pack adopts me. Wolves don’t have bullshit one week assignments.”

Jeno slinks into the booth next to Chenle, who drops his head back down on his forgotten Linguistics textbooks and resumes unconsciousness. Tutting, Renjun shakes his head and takes another sip of his coffee.

“I’m serious, dude. This is the last straw.”

“Oh yeah?” Renjun fixes him with that stare again. “Because if I remember correctly, and I always do, it was also the last straw two weeks ago when our lovely Jisungie dropped hot sauce all over your flashcards.”

Jeno stares right back, and it’s like looking into the void. He points a finger at Renjun and opens his mouth but he’s so fucking tired and hungover that he literally has nothing to say. Instead, he points more aggressively, and Renjun smiles because he knows he’s won.

“Don’t be such a smartass.” Jeno sighs, giving up and opening his notebook. He stares at the page, numbers and letters becoming a jumbled mess before him. Fuck, he really needs a coffee.

“I’m not a smartass.” Renjun smiles. “I’m just smart.”

Ever the mature adult, Jeno pokes out his tongue in retaliation. Renjun rolls his eyes again and goes back to his coffee.

Jeno and Renjun are both sarcastic, headstrong types, and when they’d met in freshers week last year by smashing into each other outside a club and spilling Jeno’s kebab all over the pavement, they easily could have been enemies. But Renjun had apologised and they’d shared his chips while waiting for the bus, and after talking about their lives and figuring out Renjun was only a floor beneath him in their halls, they’d basically swore to each other that they’d have each other’s backs for the rest of their university careers.

His friendship with Renjun is ride or die, whenever Jeno’s drunk off his ass or whenever Renjun’s having a caffeine fuelled breakdown the other is always the first on speedial. It’s comforting, knowing someone who would hide a body for you.

Chenle tilts his head, still buried in his textbooks, bright green cabbage hair sticking up in almost every direction, and looks at Jeno sleepily. “How was the party?”

Ah yes, the party.

“Fun.” Jeno shrugs, because he can’t really remember much else. He really shouldn’t have tried to outdrink Yukhei last night. “They had glittery stuff hanging from their doors, I think it was someone’s birthday.”

“You think?”

Jeno just shrugs again, and Chenle snorts into his books. “Did Hyuck meet up with that girl?”

There’s a pause as Jeno tries to will his brain into functioning in even the slightest degree. “I think so? But like, we didn’t hang with her for most of the night.”

Chenle nods, like he expected as much. Donghyuck is a social butterfly, or maybe a social flea would be more fitting, hopping from person to person with such gusto and genuine conversation that Jeno finds it impossible to keep up. Everyone knows Donghyuck for his loud personality, winning smile, and that one time he Airplayed the Very Important Videos playlist to the massive TV in the main university building. And everyone knows Jeno because he’s Donghyuck’s friend.

“Cute barista was there.” Jeno adds. “So he was pretty distracted.”

Chenle and Renjun make ‘ahh’ noises, because they can picture exactly what Hyuck would have been doing all night; exactly the same thing he does in the cafe, obviously staring at the barista and laughing weirdly everytime he does anything cute.

Jeno doesn’t understand how Hyuck finds the guy breaking things and messing up orders attractive, but apparently he really, _really_ does.

“Did you get home alright?” Renjun asks, because despite everything he does give some shits.

“Yeah, I don’t remember how but I woke up in my bed with my jeans off, so.”

Renjun throws a sugar packet at him. “Stop drinking so much.”

Jeno makes a ‘pshhh’ noise and waves his hand. “I’m not that bad, it’s the student experience.”

“Passing out in club toilets is the student experience?”

“That was one time!” They’d promised to never speak of last halloween ever again.

“Woah, hyung.” Chenle frowns at him from his textbook pillow. “Gross.”

“I didn’t pass out.” Jeno crosses his arms. “I just had a 20 minute power nap.”

Renjun throws more sugar packets and Jeno tries to karate chop them out of the air, it’s wildly successful.

“You must have drunk a lot last night then.” Chenle says, watching what’s become a tennis match in front of him. “I’m surprised you’re even here.”

Jeno smiles and is about to tell the younger about the wonders of paracetamol and this magical substance called _water_ , but he’s interrupted by the cafe door crashing open and a shockingly peppy voice shouting, “Jeno!”

He whips his head around and yep, there’s Donghyuck, looking like he just flew in on his private jet. Outfit perfectly styled and hair suspiciously windswept, considering its not windy out today. Hyuck stalks over to their table and _damn_ , he’s even wearing eyeliner.

“Why the hell are you looking alright?” Jeno grumbles as Hyuck slips into the booth opposite him. “You drank more than I did.”

“First of all.” Hyuck starts, and God, Jeno is absolutely not functional enough for this. “We all know I look a lot better than _alright_ , so don’t be rude.”

Renjun sips his coffee with raised eyebrows.

“Second of all, fuck you!” He reaches over the table to slap Jeno’s arm, and the other whines in confusion.

“What the hell did I do?”

“You.” Hyuck points at him, and Jeno kind of feels like his grandma is telling him off for eating chocolate before dinner. “You fucking left without me! You left me talking to that cow about her shitty life for the rest of the night! What kind of friend ditches a party that _I_ took them too? Especially when the love of my life was there.”

Jeno leans out of slapping range and frowns at him. “What are you talking about?”

Hyuck throws his hands up in exasperation. “Asshole, you left with that pink haired guy! Honestly, not only do you ditch me but you ditch me for my crushes best friend? Rude.”

There’s a moment of silence as everyone in the booth stares at Jeno, and Jeno stares right back. Yes, he remembers the cute pink haired guy. Yes he remembers bumping into him in the hallway and having a small gay panic about it because he was crazy beautiful up close and Jeno had just spilt his beer all over him. And yes, he remembers briefly talking to him while they both sat in the bathroom and Jeno was desperately trying to dab the beer stains with toilet roll.

“Don’t you remember?” Hyuck raises his eyebrows. “He took you home because you were drunk off your ass.”

But no, he definitely _doesn’t_ remember leaving with him.

Jeno blinks once at him, and Hyuck rolls his eyes. “God, you are useless. You were basically attached to him for a whole hour and then you came up to me and told me you were leaving because you were too drunk.”

God, Jeno doesnt fucking remember that at _all_. His sluggish brain whirs into life as he tries to recall anything completely embarrassing he might have said or done around the super cute guy. He remembers sitting next to him on the sofa as they chatted, crowding round a table with him to play bounce cup, sharing a cigarette with him outside. Okay, maybe he did spend a lot of time with the dude, but Jeno remembers being so overwhelmingly charmed by him that at the time he didn’t think it was weird at all.

“Oh.” Is all Jeno can say.

Hyuck clicks his tongue. “Honestly. At least I got to talk to the barista, who’s name is _Mark_ by the way, who was so fucking cute just like I knew he would be. He was telling me about the dog on his phone background and it was like, the best twenty minutes of my life to be honest. ”

Renjun raises an eyebrow at him and Hyuck rolls his eyes. “Whatever, I got to talk to _Mark_ because he was assuring me his friend wouldn’t try to sleep with you or something, not that it was _him_ I was worried about.”

Jeno’s grateful because even though Donghyuck’s a bitch he’s also fiercely loving and protective, but his face burns scarlet as Chenle pipes up, “didn’t you say you woke up with your trousers off?”

The table stares at him again as Jeno scrambles to defend himself. “Guys, _no_. I have a spotty memory but I wasn’t blackout, and trust me I think I’d remember _that_.”

“I don’t think Jaemin would anyways.” Hyuck waves his hand. “I spoke to him for like five minutes and he seemed like a sweet guy, not the drunk hookup type.”

“And I am?” Jeno says incredulously. Renjun opens his mouth to say something but Jeno throws a coffee stirrer at him before he can.

Hyuck shrugs. “Well, you kept saying you wanted to eat his head because it looked like candy floss, so.”

“God.” Jeno sighs, putting his head in his hands. Good to know drunk Jeno, the horrible flirt, is alive and well.

“Whatever.” Hyuck brushes off his embarrassment. “Point is: I was abandoned, left by my trustworthy party buddy to have my ear talked off by Macy about how much she hates her boyfriend because he bought her the wrong kind of birthstone necklace, for three fucking hours.”

“Sorry.” Jeno feels a little bad because Macy is known for being a crier when she’s drunk. “I’ll buy you a coffee?”

Hyuck rolls his eyes, but accepts, and Jeno offers him a trademark eyesmile to butter him up a bit more. They all love each other at the end of the day, and they know way too much shit about each other to not be friends at this point.

Fumbling around in his backpack for his wallet, Jeno’s barely listening as Renjun starts going through Chenle’s Linguistics notes with him, pointing out spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. They’re doing the same course, but are a year apart, and technically Renjun is Chenle’s tutor. Jeno had bumped into Chenle at a party, vaguely recognised him as Renjun’s student, watched him do three sambuca shots and eat an entire strawberry cheesecake and then spent the rest of the night sitting with him as he vomited everything back up. It was a major bonding experience, and he’d been integrated into the friend group soon after. Jisung, Chenle’s only sane flatmate from halls, was just part of the package.

“Where’s little Jisungie?” Hyuck asks, using the pet name because Jisung’s not here and won’t smack him for it.

“Gym.” Chenle says. “He’s got practice after, until 2.”

“Freak.” Hyuck tuts. Jisung’s kind of a dance prodigy, and Hyuck likes to tease him for it because he ‘can’t let his ego get any bigger’.

Jeno finds his money, buried under a bunch of Tesco receipts and his spare t-shirt, because when you hang out with people like these you have to carry a spare, and looks up at Donghyuck. “What do you want?”

“The usual.”

“Bitch, your usual changes every week.”

Hyuck sighs at him. “God, and I thought we were friends. Skinny latte with an extra shot, please babe.”

Jeno crinkles his nose at the use of the cute name, but gets up and heads to the counter.

November is already halfway through, and cold as fuck outside. It’s been raining for the past few days, but today the sun rips through the clouds and makes Jeno’s headache worse, only slightly challenging the chill in the air. At least it’s pretty; auburn leaves settle into constellations on the wet pavements, stomped into permanent arrangements under the boots of the public. Jeno loves wrapping up in as many layers as possible, loves coming to this little shop and talking shit with his friends for hours, so it could be worse.

He dings the little bell on the counter. The cafe only has a few staff on at once because they’re so inactive they don't need anyone else, and they spend their time in the back preparing sandwiches and assumedly chatting in private. They’re all students as well, and occasionally Jeno spots a few of them, including Donghyuck’s crush, on campus.

Crouching down, Jeno looks at the little pastries in the cabinet next to the counter. They’re clearly handmade, in a lovingly crafted way rather than a messy way, and he wonders if whoever makes them does it overnight or something.

“Oh.” A soft voice says above him.

Jeno whips his head up, and almost has a heart attack as he’s met with a head of bright pink hair.

Oh shit, its _the guy_ , it's the super cute guy, wearing an employee apron and a smile that imitates the sun. The same fucking guy who Jeno can't remember the name of but apparently took him home because he was such a state.

And yep, he’s still super fucking attractive, with a beautiful grin and perfectly tousled bright pink hair, looking like he’s stepped straight of a Japanese dating sim. Jeno’s jaw drops as the guy smiles at him, he can hear Renjun snickering, fantastic.

“It’s you!” The guy grins, and Jeno’s face burns, his jaw snaps shut.

“You work here?” Jeno blurts, surprising himself and the guy, who blinks at him for a couple of seconds.

“Yeah, I started here a few of days ago, Mark got me the job.”

Oh. An awkward blanket settles on the conversation as Jeno realises he doesn’t even remember the dude’s name. He scans the apron for a name badge and quickly finds ‘Jaemin’.

“I’m surprised your alive.” The guy - Jaemin, disrupts the silence.

“Me too.” Jeno smiles. “Uh, Hyuck told me what happened, I don’t really remember.”

“Oh.” Jaemin’s smile falters for a second, but he quickly recovers. “You were really fucking drunk.”

“Oh God. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Jaemin grins again, and Jeno feel a little bit blinded by it. “Someone had to get you home, and you were pretty - uh, clingy, so.”

Jeno thought his face couldn’t get even more red, but here we are. “Fuck, I’m sorry man, that’s so embarrassing.”

“Hey, no.” Jaemin closes his eyes and tilts his head as he smiles and it might just be the sweetest thing Jeno’s ever seen. “I don’t mind, and your apartment is just up the street from mine.”

Cool, drunk mess Jeno was obviously such a state that this guy felt obliged to basically cary him home.

“I- thank you, really, I’m not an alcoholic I promise.”

Jaemin laughs. “You’re a funny drunk, it’s chill.”

Jeno sighs in relief. Of all the all the adjectives that could have described him last night, he’s so glad Jaemin decided on ‘funny’. Better than messy, disastrous, or apparently, flirty. Oh God, that reminds him.

“Did you uh-” Jeno fiddles with his sweater sleeves so he doesn’t have to look at Jaemin. “Did you come in last night?”

There’s a pause as Jaemin clicks with what Jeno’s asking.

“Oh! Oh yeah, I did, but only to make sure you didn't vomit in your bed or something.” Jaemin clarifies. “Just got you to take your shoes off and drink a shitload of water, anything else must have been your roommate, he woke up just as I was leaving.”

Jeno kind of hates the idea that Doyoung caught a cute pink haired boy leaving Jeno’s room, he has a feeling he’s not gonna hear the end of it for a while.

“Christ.” He laughs. “I hope I wasn’t too much of a hassle.”

“You’re fine.” Jaemin waves him off. “You just kept saying how much you wanted to eat my head.”

Great, Jeno feels like he’s on fire, and not in the good way.

“Sorry, I - I’m a mess when I’m drunk.”

Jaemin smiles in a stupidly earnest way, and it catches Jeno a little off guard. “Don’t worry about it, you were cute.”

Cute? He doesn’t think anyones ever called drunk Jeno _cute_ before. Jaemin clearly notices how surprised Jeno is, but he leans into it. His lips pull into a smirk and ah, yes, Jeno remembers how easily charming this guy is.

“Ah, thanks.” Jeno smiles, because smiling seems to be really easy around Jaemin.

“So.” Jaemin leans away from the counter and gestures to the large menu hanging on the wall behind him. “What can I get you?”

And Jeno completely blanks, because he’s been so caught off guard by Jaemin that he’s completely forgotten Hyuck’s order. He spins back to the table to find all three of his friends watching him, Chenle amused, Renjun tired and Donghyuck unimpressed, he looks to Hyuck for help.

“Skinny latte, extra shot.” Hyuck shouts to him, like he knew Jeno would forget.

“Uh, that.” Jeno turns back to the waiting barista. “And uh, double espresso, extra sugar, please?”

“Yeah, you probably need it.” Jaemin grins, and Jeno feels sufficiently wooed.

Jaemin makes himself busy with the coffees and Jeno lingers awkwardly by the counter. Usually he would just take his phone out and start playing Pianotiles or whatever, but something makes him just stand there, like he’s waiting.

“So.” Jaemin looks up from where he’s using the machine. “Remind me what you’re studying?”

Ah, there it is.

“Engineering.” Jeno grins, and Jaemin makes some joke about maths at Jeno’s heard a hundred times before but he laughs at it anyways.

They chat about uni and their respective courses, and Jaemin only has to say ‘I know, you told me last night’ a couple of times. Jaemin is shockingly easy to talk to, and the back and forth between them comes so naturally and is so enjoyable that he’s a little surprised by it. Jeno guesses that once you carry a drunk dude home from a party and put him to bed then you’re technically friends. Jeno’s not stupid though, he can sense the undercurrent of the conversation. Jaemin keeps sending him these smiles that make his heart flip in his chest and the pink haired guy is _definitely_ aware of the effect he’s having because he keeps pulling that smirk and raising his eyebrows just so. God, Jeno must be really obvious.

Jaemin puts both mugs on a tray and slides it over the counter to Jeno. “I would be cute and give you these on the house, but I literally started three days ago and I want to keep my job, so.”

“It’s fine.” Jeno laughs, trying to suppress his obvious blush. “Thanks though.”

He pays for the coffee, and gives Jaemin one last smile. There’s a pause as he goes to pick up the tray, and Jaemin seizes the opportunity Jeno gives him.

“Hey, maybe you can let me pay next time though?”

Jeno blinks at him for a second, feeling a little headrush of emotion, before breaking into a slight smile. “You mean, like a date?”

“Something like that, yeah.” Jaemin says a little breathlessly, and when Jaemin’s grinning like that it’s kinda hard to say no.

“Okay.” Jeno pulls his famous eye smile, and Jaemin’s grin gets wider. “Let me give you my number.”

“Ah, no worries.” Jaemin pulls up the sleeve of his jumper to show Jeno what looks like the scrawlings of a toddler on his forearm, or, Jeno assumes, a really drunk guy trying to write down a phone number. “You gave it to me last night.”

“Oh.” Jeno’s face burns, of course. “That explains why you were so confident.”

Jaemin drops his sleeve and pulls that face again. “Yep, that and your beet red ears.”

Laughing, Jeno pulls his jumper into sweater paws and puts them both over his ears for protection. “Leave my ears alone!”

Jaemin just grins at him like Jeno’s the best thing he’s ever seen, and Jeno feel a little overwhelmed by the crazy way his heart is beating right now. He just has this effect that Jeno hasn’t really felt before to this level and, well, he’s gonna just embrace it.

“They’re cute.” Jaemin mumbles, Jeno drops his hands and lets his face flush without even attempting to hide it.

“I’ll text you.” Jaemin continues, and he even has the audacity to throw in a wink after.

Jeno nods at him, still trying to wrap his head around what’s happening. “Thanks again, for everything.”

“No problem.” Jaemin shrugs. “Just the decent thing to do.”

Jeno grins, because this guy is actually ridiculously sweet and Jeno is so grateful that drunk him hadn’t thrown up on the walk home. He goes to grab the tray again, but Jaemin interrupts him.

“Actually.” He says quickly. “If you do wanna thank me, please get your friend to ask out Mark.”

Jeno is caught off guard yet again. “What? You mean Donghyuck?”

“The one that looks like a beauty guru, yeah. Mark won’t shut up about him, and every time he’s in the cafe Mark gets so anxious he keeps dropping stuff and messing up orders, its endearing but kinda annoying.”

Jeno blinks at him. “Mark likes Donghyuck.”

“Yeah?”

Oho, that’s fascinating. “Okay, I’ll let him know.”

“Sweet.” Jaemin grins, and sweet is so accurate right now.

Jeno gives him one last look, and honestly he can’t believe that this lovely, super hot, funny guy wants to take him out after having to put up with Jeno’s drunk ass last night. He’s a little overwhelmed by the entire situation, but hey, he’s not gonna challenge it.

With a final smile that takes over his whole face, Jeno waves Jaemin goodbye and takes the drinks back to the table.

Thank you world. And thank you Yukhui for challenging him to shot roulette.

Jeno slides the tray onto the table, and the whole gang looks at him like he just told them Cube fired Hyuna.

“What the fuck did he tell you?” Hyuck snorts. “That you’ve won the lottery?”

Jeno grins unashamedly. “He asked me out.”

There’s a moment of silence as the group processes.

“What!” Hyuck screeches. “Bitch! How the fuck?”

“I’m irresistible.” Jeno wiggles his eyebrows. “And to be honest I have no fucking clue, but I’m not looking a gift hot guy in the mouth.”

And honestly, when Jaemin smiles like that and makes him laugh so easily and causes that huge woosh in his stomach for no fucking reason, Jeno is gonna grab whatever the universe offers him and hold on tight.

“Fuck dude, you’re supposed to be my lonely single buddy while I obsess over the hot barista!”

Renjun’s asexual ass just sips his coffee and Chenle doesn’t dare open his mouth because they _all_ know about whatever the hell is going on between him and their little Jisungie.

Tutting, Hyuck pulls his books out of his bag and starts scribbling away. Renjun starts up a discussion about Chenle’s upcoming birthday plans and Jeno just grins to himself, trying to stop himself from stealing glances of the pink haired guy hovering behind the counter.

Before he forgets, Jeno makes a mental note to formulate a plan with Renjun to fabricate a series of events to make Hyuck and his cute barista hilariously realise their feelings for each other, because if it’s gonna happen anyways he might as well have a little fun with it.

In the meantime, he’s just got a date with a descendant of Apollo who makes his heart flutter in the gayest kinda way.

Suddenly, November doesn’t feel so cold.

**Author's Note:**

> one time i got with this girl in a club and then saw her the next morning while i was buying microwave burgers in tesco


End file.
